San Quentin State Prison inmate Lexy Good is white, hangs out with whites on the prison exercise yard and must be careful not to associate with blacks and Latinos. No cards, no basketball outside the color lines.
Those are the unwritten inmate rules of prison life. People stick to their own race.
Good, who's doing a short stretch for receiving stolen property, likes it that way. "We segregate amongst ourselves because I'd rather hang out with white people, and blacks would rather hang out with people of their own race," said Good, 33, of Walnut Creek. "Look at suburbia. Look at Oakland. Look at Beverly Hills. People in society self-segregate."
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#3
This is going to lead to lot of unneeded bloodshed and suffering; just to point out the obvious, but white supremacist gangs in the US correctional system exist not because there is a huge pool of neo-nazi outside, but because white criminals know that in jails, they're at the very bottom of the food system, with the mexican mafia and the black gangs at the top; hispanic-on-white or black-on-white homosexual rape & gangrape is rampant, and unfortunately for the inmates, the most victimized are not those who would "deserve" it the most, like the "macho" view that "criminals deserve to be raped by Bubba", but the most fragile and outside the criminal subculture... that is young white men who are not hardened criminals, those who goe in jail for possession, driving-related crimes, one-off crimes,... basically, the lower and middle class kids.
White can and do rape white, but hispanics and black don't rape each other (though they do rape inside their own ethnic group, again, preying on the weaker and less criminally hardened), but no white could ever even think of raping an hispanic or a black or there would be a riot.
This racial aspect is one of the big taboos or race-conscious America, as there probably are more men raped a year (most of them white, most often raped by non-white, and often put in actual sex-slavery) than women. The correctional system is perfectly aware of that, but there is IMHO a mix of inertia, cynical indifference, and PCness and unwillingless to even acknowledge the issue.
Not a pleasant subject, but IMHO, very symptomatic of today's West, an "homegrown" case point, where the western jail systems are the mirror of post-apartheid SA, for example.
By the way, french jails are segregated for exactly the very same reason, and last year IIRC, an "anti-racist" org called for the end to this segregation, I don't know what became of that, but IMHO, this was a case where Reality prevailed against Ideology (unlike here).
#4
We'd all be a lot better off if the death penalty was given and quickly enforced for any criminal act committed while in prison. Make a law that says "Rape someone in jail; we find your DNA in them, you'll be getting the spike inside a month" and you'd see this crap stop cold.
We should also be executing anyone who has more than a ten year sentence. If ten years won't reform them, they're not going to be reformed and society has too many other serious needs it has to fund to waste money on warehousing criminal bastards whom we'd all be better off seeing dead anyway.
Posted by: Thaimble Scourge of the Pixies4707 ||
05/29/2008 17:40 Comments ||
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With apologies to GolfBravoUSMC, and a hat tip to Small Dead Animals
Hello boss, this is Muji. Haji can't come to the phone right now, he's got his hands full. What? Oh, his hands are full of shards of glass, fragments of plastic, and the doctors say they can't remove the throttle cable until the burns heal a bit more.
Boss, I gotta tell you, these Infidel aircraft are tricky. Somebody at Airbus infiltrated a jinn into the fuselage and it sneaked along and hid under my seat. We had just rolled up our rugs after the imam asked for Allah's blessing and death to Israel, when the jinn oiled its way out from under the seat and pointed out the really hot flight attendants boarding three gates down. Praise Allah, the Airbus 340 came with some great binoculars!
After that, the jinn caused my memory to become quite fuzzy. But as you will see from the pictures, the aircraft has had some modifications, including new skylights and a vastly improved passenger access system.
#6
I saw the photos of this accident on Airliners.net a while back. The captions did not say it was the "flight crew" but said that a ground crew had screwed the pooch.
I bet the shieks were po'ed about that waste of $70 Million.
(Xinhua) -- Kenya's Labor Minister John Munyes escaped death narrowly on Tuesday night when armed bandits invadeda village in Lokichogio area on the porous Kenyan-Sudanese border killing ten people.
The minister told the local FM radio station Wednesday that a fight which ensued between security forces and the bandits on Tuesday night left at least ten people dead and scores of others injured. Munyes said the militia men, who are suspected to be from neighboring Sudan, made away with more than 5,000 head of cattle.
The minister said the local police were overwhelmed by the large number of the attackers. He blamed the army and the General Service Unit (GSU) for failing to intervene even after residents made distress calls. "I expected the army, which is just a stone throw away, to come and support them. They were just there; the GSU (General Service Unit) could also not do anything. I don't know what they are doing here. They should just go," Munyes said.
He said the conflict emerged over the control of watering points in the area. The region is facing drought and the pastoralist community is moving in search of water and pasture for their animals. The area has been prone to banditry attacks for a long time and just early this month saw the death of a senior United Nations official working in southern Sudan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Mugabe's rivals must work alongside Zanu-PF, says Kofi Annan
Annan says Zimbabwe's neighbors must do more to solve crisis
Ex-U.N. chief says South Africa should deploy army to halt violence at home
Annan speaking in exclusive interview with CNN
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 13:35 ||
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#1
Yeah, work with the thugs who are trying to take all your stuff and kill you. Good idea, Kofi ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2008 13:57 Comments ||
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#2
As long as "work with" means "bullet between Mugabe's eyes" ....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/29/2008 14:12 Comments ||
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#3
Just who the heck is Kofi to be telling people what to do? Did you vote for him? I know I didn't. By what authority does his opinion carry any more weight than yours or mine?
In a lacerating attack on liberal values, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, said the country was mired in a doctrine of 'endless self-indulgence' that had brought an explosion in public violence and binge-drinking.
In a blow to Gordon Brown, he mocked the 'scramblings and scratchings' of politicians who try to cast new British values such as respect and tolerance.
The Pakistani-born bishop dated the downfall of Christianity from the 'social and sexual revolution' of the 1960s.
He said Church leaders had capitulated to Marxist revolutionary thinking and quoted an academic who blames the loss of 'faith and piety among women' for the steep decline in Christian worship.
#1
And with the downfall of Christianity we will see the ascent of Islam. Buh-bye, Britain.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/29/2008 11:22 Comments ||
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#2
At some point a stern version of Christianity will rise and gain and provide an option. Right now the CofE has chosen to be the Walter the Softies and nobody liked Walter so those in search of guidance chose the Dennis the Menace boys of Islam.
I miss those old British Dennis the Menace Comics. Far better than our own pathetic American version where his only menace was getting dirty and being loud.
#4
I've had an email conversation with this Bishop, on a couple of matters of theology based on one of his published speeches, a couple years ago (mainly heterodox versus orthodox in the CoE and how it relates to the Roman Catholic Church's movement in that direction under Benedict).
Replied personally. Formidable intellect, and very personable. Much like Roman Catholic Archbishop Chaput (in Colorado), I got a solid sense that this man truly belongs totally to God.
HOLLYWOOD star Sharon Stone has apologised after a furious response in China to her comments that its deadly earthquake was "karma" over the Chinese government's policies in Tibet. The US actress also offered to help with the earthquake relief effort in a statement issued by the China branch of French luxury goods maker Christian Dior, where she is a top model.
"My erroneous words and deeds angered and saddened the Chinese people, and I sincerely apologise for this," she said in the statement, issued in Chinese.
That's not an apology. You're saying you're sorry because your words angered people. You're supposed to be sorry because your words were WRONG.
"I'm willing to participate in any earthquake relief activity and to do my utmost to help Chinese people affected by the disaster."
#3
HOLLYWOOD star Sharon Stone has apologised after a furious response in China
I'm with Stone on this one. ANYTHING that evokes Chicom seething anger is fine with me. I'm getting a little sick of somebody making a comment, carma, whatever, and the media immediately attacking them and demanding an apology.
Oskarshamn nuclear plant has been found to lack sufficient safeguards to ensure that security checks are performed on everybody entering the plant.
Two security guards who patrol the plant after 6pm often leave their post unmanned, local newspaper Oskarshamn-Tidningen reports. But not to worry ...
The company that runs the plant, OKG, has said it plans to remedy the situation in October. LOL!
Despite the fact that other plants such as Ringhals and Forsmark carry out checks on everybody passing through the gates, OKG has secured a dispensation allowing it to delay security improvement by a few more months.
"But from October 1st everyone who enters OKG will be checked," said Anders Österberg, a spokesman for the company.
Two welders were arrested last Wednesday after a routine security control at the entrance to the plant detected traces of highly explosive material on the handle of a plastic bag one of the men was carrying.
Both men were later released but the suspicions against them remain. Ya think? And they're not the only suspicious characters in this tale.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch writer, feminist and former MP has written her first book for children, a work of fiction that risks unleashing a fresh storm of anger from her critics. Adan and Eva tells the story of a friendship between a Jewish girl, whose parents are driven by money, and a Muslim boy who is beaten by his father. Although ostensibly aimed at children, Adan and Eva, published in the Netherlands today is far from a breezy bedtime read. Eva is alienated by her wealthy, ostentatious parents while Adan, from an immigrant suburb of Amsterdam, is terrorised by his Moroccan father. The youngsters gradually overcome their preconceptions of what it means to be Jewish and Muslim but all hell breaks loose when their families find out about their friendship.
"There is a scene in which Adan is hit and kicked out by his father, which I know will provoke anger in a community where it is common to hit children," Ms Hirsi Ali admits. "But sometimes you need to be provocative to trigger open discussions, something which is simply not happening right now." But she insists she is depicting a true picture: "I lived in Holland for 14 years and I know these neighbourhoods from which Adan and Eva come inside out These communities are divided and they do harbour prejudices."
The book, co-written with children's author Anna Gray, is likely to generate more hate mail for Ms Hirsi Ali, at a time when she is struggling to raise millions of dollars for protection. The Dutch government stopped footing her security bills last year after she moved to Washington DC to work for a conservative think-tank.
Ms Hirsi Ali had previously set out her challenge to Islamic teaching on women in The Caged Virgin. She hopes her attempt at children's fiction, to be published in English later this year, will motivate other authors. "I know mine is not an easy read but children's lives are not easy. We can play a big role in encouraging them to be more open towards one another and grow up to be different from their parents. We often overlook the importance of getting children to learn about other cultures. So they don't end up sitting in a classroom, not talking to their neighbours because they have different backgrounds. It was books that cured me of my prejudices."
Posted by: ryuge ||
05/29/2008 05:01 ||
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Barack Obama is competing strongly against Republican John McCain for women, Catholics and other groups that have shunned him in the Democratic primaries but will be pivotal in this fall's presidential race, early polling shows.
Significant blocs of voters who have been closely contested in recent presidential elections or veered from one party to the other, making them true swing groups have leaned toward Obama's rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the primaries. Besides women and Catholics, these include the elderly, the less educated and suburbanites, leading Clinton to argue she is her party's stronger candidate.
Even so, polls this month show the Illinois senator assuming he clinches the Democratic nomination leading McCain among women, running even among Catholics and suburbanites and trailing with people over age 65. Results vary by poll for those without college degrees. And though Obama trails decisively with a group that has strongly preferred Clinton whites without college degrees he's doing no worse than the past two Democratic presidential candidates.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Besides women and Catholics, these include the elderly, the less educated and suburbanites, leading Clinton to argue she is her party's stronger candidate.
'the less educated' being key here
Posted by: Jan ||
05/29/2008 0:45 Comments ||
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#2
early polling shows
Comparative analysis of the validity of early poles against the final vote? This is space filler by the usual suspects to cover the columns and airtime between ads.
It's known as bandwagoning. PROPAGANDA [remember its evil if the Trunks do it, but OK if the Donks or their minions do it].
#7
"he's doing no worse than the past two Democratic presidential candidates."
Neither of who were named Clinton, and who both lost.
We vote by states. Given that the Repubs who dislike McCain are heavily concentrated in "red states" and the Dems who dislike Obama are heavily concentrated in swing states, its quite possible that Obama could win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote. Wont that be fun?
#9
I think the d's are framing that discussion as we speak in anticipation of Denver.
bo's "new" is wearing off earlier than I thought (with the media). Without that shiny coat intelligent people should begin to realize how important it is to have competence in the White House. bo, 8 years too early at least.
#13
on a serious note; if/when BHO takes on Mcpain in a series of debates I think mcpain thrashes him. BHO's lack of experience will become glaring, the only thing he has is youth. I think his wife is a political liability.
The public will see who looks more presidential - when mcpain was visiting iraq obama was having to defend wright (which he ultimately backtracked on). White hillary voters will prolly vote for juan. If juan goes for the juggular I think he wins by 10 pts. The country is ready for a black prez, just not this one.
Our highest priority must be to reduce the danger that nuclear weapons will ever be used. Such weapons, while still important to deter an attack with weapons of mass destruction against us and our allies, represent the most abhorrent and indiscriminate form of warfare known to man. We do, quite literally, possess the means to destroy all of mankind. We must seek to do all we can to ensure that nuclear weapons will never again be used.
While working closely with allies who rely on our nuclear umbrella for their security, I would ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff to engage in a comprehensive review of all aspects of our nuclear strategy and policy. I would keep an open mind on all responsible proposals. At the same time, we must continue to deploy a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent, robust missile defenses and superior conventional forces that are capable of defending the United States and our allies. But I will seek to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest number possible consistent with our security requirements and global commitments. Today we deploy thousands of nuclear warheads. It is my hope to move as rapidly as possible to a significantly smaller force.
#2
*shakes head* A stupid move on McCain's part to curry favor with the Left.
A far better approach is this: propose making a multi-lateral treaty with the Soviets and the Chinese to reduce nuclear weapons inventories. Make a magnanamous gesture to reduce inventories and challenge them to match.
Make a necessity a virtue. This guy has no REAL sense of opportunism...
#3
We must seek... a comprehensive review... an open mine on responsible proposals...lowest number possible consistent with our security requirements... It is my hope...
Lots of words signifying nothing much in particular, but which will make the anti-nuke crowd, both here and abroad, happy. Comprehensive reviews can take an awfully long time, if they're to be truly comprehensive. Then proposals must be drawn up, pondered and sifted to retain only those truly responsible under all possible conditions, which then must be compared to find the best one. In the meantime, our security requirements vis a vis our nuclear arsenal must be evaluated, especially given the various possible mixes of size, type, and delivery systems... This sounds like the script for an entire season of Yes, Prime Minister on BBC.
#4
Ah yes, TW, that too is of great pertinence. Must look into it. Appoint a committee. Consult with allies. Oh wait, that one phone number Kissinger wanted when he wanted to talk to "Europe" isn't connected yet, is it?
#5
We do, quite literally, possess the means to destroy all of mankind.
Yeah, but its not nukes. It's screwing around intentionally or by error with the human gnome. A designer plague is a far more effective final solution [which the enviro-wiennies seem to have a thing for].
#8
I don't see why "out of the box" McCain even mention this. We don't need to disarm our nuclear capability. Islamic countries that are trying to develop a WMD capability would enjoy a seeing us reduce our nuclear stockpiles. Granted we would have plenty even if we reduced our numbers. There are other issues that are more important at this time such as addressing energy our problems.
#9
I'd settle for just educating some of these muslim leaders in the dangers of radioactive fallout.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/29/2008 11:33 Comments ||
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#10
Personally I think it is a great move from the mccain camp - called out bo and in the same week opened the discussion of a nuclear peace. Keeps him in the news, he has his own talking point now, and continues to kick bo in the teeth.
Not that I agree with the policy. Only a handful of nations have the capability to withstand an undeclared first strike and still retaliate but there are plenty of nations which could cause havoc with just a couple of nukes, those are the ones to be concerned about.
I will seek to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest number possible consistent with our security requirements and global commitments.
His security stance would presume that this means not too few.
#11
The best way to guarantee nukes with never be used is to retake the oilfields from the Muslims. Bankrupt them and send them back to the Dark Ages they love so much and keep the wealth we earned for ourselves.
#13
How many Cold War-era nuclear warheads are going to reach the their freshness date and have to be rebuilt in the near future? McCain gets a Win-Win by saving the associated costs to the budget and donning a saintly halo by saying it is "...for the children."
Some of our arsenal is simply going to be unmaintainable. So he gets credit for "reducing" arms.
Never mind that we will take the fissile mataerial and reprocess it for updated versions of the wweapons we keep.
And it is smart politics - he sheds the "warmonger" face that the Dems are trying to pin on him, and cuts Obama off at the knees by boxing him out on this issue. The best Obama can do is a weak "me too".
And remember - he didn't say he will, he said he will SEEK to... nice weasel wording.
He told Dawn News that the most serious challenge facing the nation was the prevalence of the culture of impunity with regard to high treason. He said it was unfortunate that the successful completion of this crime saved the perpetrator from punishment because the offender took the highest position in the state. Dr Hussain said that the situation could greatly improve if the courts ruled against such orders, adding that the perpetrators should be punished, as this would serve as deterrence for would-be military rulers.
This article starring:
Law Commission of Pakistan Secretary Dr Faqeer Hussain
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
I take it the next time uniforms take over, they know not to give power back. It's a teachable moment. Fools like the 'Secretary' fail to learn that. Not that there's been a pattern of rule between suits and uniforms in Pakland.
#3
You never, ever, threaten your enemies in power until they no longer have power, and you do. You be all sweetness and light until you can nuke them from orbit, then you are damn careful to leave no survivors.
There is no consensus between PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said on Wednesday. Commenting on Nawazs statement that Zardari had agreed to impeach Musharraf, she told Geo News that the two leaders had only reached consensus on deciding the affairs of the government mutually, not over Musharrafs impeachment. She said parliament would decide Musharrafs future. She expressed ignorance about any proposals to try Musharraf under charges of high treason.
This article starring:
Asif Ali Zardari
Nawaz Sharif
Sherry Rehman
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Can I get a consensus we need more pictures of Sherry?
Posted by: Steve ||
05/29/2008 10:06 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah. She looks hot. Probably mad as a hatter from having to deal with the likes of Perv, Sharif and Zardari but she looks good.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/29/2008 11:36 Comments ||
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#3
"Can I get a consensus we need more pictures of Sherry?"
Steve, I could get behind a consensus of pictures of MORE of Sherry.
BAGHDAD - Iraq plans to hold a national census next year, paving the way for parliamentary polls expected by the end of 2009, the planning minister said on Wednesday.
A lack of census data has fed rancorous disputes over the size of Iraq's different ethnic and religious groups. This has affected allocations of its oil wealth to different regions and delayed the passage of this year's $48 billion budget.
Minister Ali Baban told Reuters in an interview the date of the census would be set next week. It would take place in time for the next general election, which must happen by the end of 2009, according to the constitution. "It will enable us to produce a detailed list of eligible voters and information about them for planning the parliamentary elections," he said.
It would not, however, be done in time for this year's provincial elections scheduled for Oct. 1, Baban said.
He said the Iraqi cabinet approved a census bill on Tuesday, which must now be approved by parliament.
Mehdi al-Allaq, head of the central census department in the Planning Ministry, said questions of ethnic group and religion would appear on the census forms, but they would not ask whether those in the Muslim faith belonged to the Shi'ite or Sunni sects -- an omission consistent with past censuses. Shi'ites are in the majority in Iraq, with some estimates putting the number at 60 percent of the population, while Sunni Arabs are about 20 percent. Many Sunni Arabs, however, dispute their minority status in a country they ruled under Saddam Hussein.
"Counting sectarian affiliations is not our business," he said. "The census sheet includes no data that incites tension."
How about saying that religious and ethnic affilitation in general isn't the government's business?
Passage of the budget was stalled this year after minority Kurds insisted on 17 percent of allocations, while some Shi'ite and Sunni Arab MPs said 12 percent was fairer based on current population estimates. A compromise was reached whereby the allocation would be 17 percent this year and reviewed after a proper census. "The census will include Kurdistan region in coordination with the regional government," Baban said.
The last census in 1997, which estimated the population at 22 million, did not count the three Kurdish provinces then separated by a U.S.-imposed no-fly zone. Now the population is estimated at 27 million, although 2 million have fled the country to escape sectarian violence, while another 2 million have been displaced internally. Baban said the census would count refugees outside the country as well as internal refugees.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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HMMMMM....
Again, iff there is any Islamist HIDDEN IMAM-MAHDI, 2008-2010 NLT 2012/13 is the time to make His Appearance and save the Jihad.
FIRST THINGS FIRST, EVEN FOR "WHITNEY HUSTON" FAN OSAMA BIN LADEN + BOYZ, AND THAT MEANS STOPPING AND DEFEATING LOCAL US-ENTRENCHMENT + ULTIMAT US-ALLIED MILFORS IN [local] DECISIVE BATTLE-CAMPAIGN.
Israel's popular foreign minister said Thursday that the ruling party must prepare to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, raising pressure on him to step down amid a growing corruption investigation.
Calls for Olmert's ouster grew this week after the key witness in the case, U.S. businessman Morris Talansky, described handing tens of thousands of dollars to Olmert, in part to finance the Israeli politician's expensive tastes. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was the first senior member of his own Kadima Party to question his fitness to stay in office. "I think the reality has changed since yesterday and Kadima has to make decisions," Livni told reporters in Jerusalem. "I suspect that Kadima needs to start right away acting for every eventuality, including elections."
Livni said she favored holding a party primary to give the public a say in choosing a leader. "In this way, we can operate to restore the trust in Kadima," she said, without mentioning Olmert by name.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 13:33 ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's former bureau chief, Shula Zaken, denied reports Wednesday that she had offered to testify in the corruption investigation currently underway against Olmert in exchange for dismissal of charges against her. Earlier Wednesday, Channel 2 reported that Zaken's attorney, Mika Fettman, had submitted a proposal to the prosecution suggesting that his client, a close personal friend to Olmert, offer her testimony, and in exchange, the prosecution will close the pending corruption investigation against her.
Zaken was a suspect in a large-scale corruption scandal at the Tax Authority last year, which included claims of bribe-taking in exchange for tax breaks to businessmen and political figures.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded to growing calls for his resignation Wednesday, telling council heads of Gaza area communities and Ashkelon, "someone under investigation doesn't necessarily have to resign. You can be sure that I have explanations for all the allegations against me, and every testimony will be refuted."
Olmert is suspected of having illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Jewish American businessman Morris Talansky. On Tuesday, Talansky told a preliminary hearing at Jerusalem Magistrates Court that he gave Olmert $150,000 over a period of 15 years.
Olmert raised as evidence for his claims the testimony of his former driver, Avi Sherman, who was proven to have lied on television about details pertaining to the investigation. "They asked him ten questions on TV, but the polygraph proved he was lying in every answer," Olmert said. "I need to resign because someone said something against me? Every minute an investigation is launched and someone has to resign? If so, four prime ministers should have resigned in recent years."
Olmert also addressed the ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza area communities, reiterating the sentiment that very soon a decision will be made regarding Israel's response to the situation.
Earlier Wednesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to leave his post or prepare for early elections, saying he did not believe the premier was capable of simultaneously leading the country and dealing with his personal matters. "I do not think the prime minister can simultaneously run the government and deal with his own personal affair," Barak told a news conference at the Knesset press room in Jerusalem on Wednesday. "Therefore, out of a sense of what is good for the country and in accordance with the proper norms, I think the prime minister must disconnect himself from the daily running of the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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That headline is pretty much true because if were required to resign just because you were under investigation you could always get people to resign by simply opening one. Resignation should depend on the OUTCOME of the investigation, not just because there is one.
Morris Talansky, the American-Jewish businessman suspected of making illicit cash transfers to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said in court testimony in Jerusalem on Tuesday that he had transferred Olmert some $150,000 over 15 years, and that Olmert had tried to aid a Talansky business venture by introducing him to several American billionaires.
Olmert's lawyer Eli Zohar labeled Talansky's testimony "twisted" and said the truth would be revealed in his cross-examination set for July 17. "In general, we're saying that we're not talking about criminal activity whatsoever," Zohar said.
Talansky, 75, said there were no records of how the money he transferred was spent. "I only know that he loved expensive cigars. I know he loved pens, watches. I found it strange," Talansky told the court, then shrugged.
However, Talansky insisted that he never expected anything in exchange. "I had a very close relationship with him, but I wish to add at this time at the relationship of 15 years was purely of admiration," he added. "I never expected anything personally. I never had any personal benefits from this relationship whatsoever."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc. (LPP) has announced the signing of its first licensing agreement for the manufacture, distribution and marketing of focus fusion reactors... The agreement gives Center for Miljo-och Energiforskning (CMEF), a Swedish firm, a license to manufacture, market and distribute focus fusion reactors in the European Union and Norway in return for phased payments to LPP of $10 million...Payments past the initial years $600,000 will be conditional on proof of the scientific feasibility of focus fusion.....
------ This requires, among other tough tasks, getting plasma to behave properly. However, this is real money from non govt. sources. The LLP folks must also have a lot of money that is not mentioned in the article because they hope to produce a mini prototype by 2012
#1
Actually, the technology is much, much different from typical fusion, using a boron-11/hydrogen mix pressed into pellets that are fused using a unique way of generating a high density plasmoid (ball of plasma) that encases the pellet. The product is a stream of ionized helium nuclei with no free neutrons whose energy can be converted to direct current using a wire coil. No tritium required, and virtually no radioactive products. Details here.
Very promising. The Chileans helped work on the prototype, and most of the development work was in developing a plasma focus device and fuel delivery system that would produce a continuous output of Helium nuclei.
Picture two double-wide mobile home-sized buildings housing primary and backup generators producing enough megawatts to power a 10,000 pop town. Hell, the phone company can get into the power production business.
#2
Just another bit of evidence that something...something is coming that is going to rip the rug out from under the oil sheiks. We won't expect it and they won't either, but it will be a game changer. The creativity of the human mind is certainly something to marvel.
#3
The Bussard concept also uses boron 11 and protons.
Check out the Google tech talks for the talk Doc Bussard gave there 18 months ago. An hour and a half of great entertainment. Doc died last year but his work goes on. Search for WB-7. A team is working on the concept and have working harware where they hope to prove beyond doubt that the concept can scale to nett power production, which won't require all that large a device.
Posted by: Aussie Mike ||
05/29/2008 17:45 Comments ||
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#4
I should mention that the Bussard concept should work even easier with D-D or D-T fusion which has its problems but is way better than nothing.
Posted by: Aussie Mike ||
05/29/2008 17:47 Comments ||
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#5
This is why I do NOT believe in the Peak Oil/Peak Energy mythos : every time that an energy source gets too difficult or expensive, another one is developed with a decade or two; or, improvements are made to extraction/production of the existing energy source. Land-based oil extraction became a problem, and offshore oil was developed. Also, steam extraction and re-pressuring of oil wells was developed for low flow and/or heavy oils. The technology for replacing oil has been getting a serious look at since the 1970s and a lot of new technologies are coming on line.
Now there is just the political problems to deal with -- the Greenies. They don't like nuclear, hydropower, coal, coal conversion, or any of the present usable technologies.
New York State has issued a tax warrant against Keith Olbermann for failure to pay taxes on his humbly named personal corporation, Olbermann Broadcasting Empire, Inc. Olbermann is listed in legal records as the President of Olbermann Broadcasting Empire, Inc.
A call to the Albany County Clerk's Office in upstate New York confirmed that the warrant is still outstanding and that Olbermann has still failed to pay his back taxes. State records show that Olbermann's company failed to pay $2,269.50 in state taxes. A judgement was entered against Olbermann last summer (Docket Date: 8/21/2007), just weeks before Olbermann closed on a a luxurious $4.2 mm condo at Trump Palace, at 200 East 69th Street.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/29/2008 18:24 ||
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#1
Must be using Al Franken's tax man. Escrow seems to have screwed up, too.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch writer, feminist and former MP has written her first book for children, a work of fiction that risks unleashing a fresh storm of anger from her critics. Adan and Eva tells the story of a friendship between a Jewish girl, whose parents are driven by money, and a Muslim boy who is beaten by his father. Although ostensibly aimed at children, Adan and Eva, published in the Netherlands today is far from a breezy bedtime read. Eva is alienated by her wealthy, ostentatious parents while Adan, from an immigrant suburb of Amsterdam, is terrorised by his Moroccan father. The youngsters gradually overcome their preconceptions of what it means to be Jewish and Muslim but all hell breaks loose when their families find out about their friendship.
There is no consensus between PML-N chief 
